24. Male protagonist

A group of tall barbarians stood at the edge of the forest, their fierce gaze staring straight ahead, with wisps of smoke rising behind them as if a great battle was about to erupt at any moment.

In front of them, on the open ground, stood a tall and muscular figure. He held a long-handled war hammer adorned with tribal totems, his expressionless face gazing into the distance. At first glance, he exuded a leader's aura.

Although there were no fully formed Roman legions opposite them, only some extras could be vaguely seen, Matthew still tried to make a fierce expression.

The camera, set on a track, zoomed in from afar, capturing a semi-circular arc around Matthew, always focusing on his face, with the hundreds of extras behind him serving as his backdrop.

"Roar!"

Matthew raised the war hammer high above his head with one hand and let out a wild roar, louder and more ferocious than yesterday!

"Ooh... Aah..."

The extras behind him followed suit, emitting various chaotic roars.

Instantly, the set turned into a madhouse once again!

"Cut!" Ridley Scott called a halt to filming, evidently not quite satisfied. He stood up from his director's chair, strode into the set directly, and shouted to the camera crew, "The zoom when tracking in from afar was not timely. Switch to manual focus!"

"Okay!" replied the cameraman.

A makeup artist quickly entered the set to wipe away Matthew's sweat. The treatment for this role was incomparable to those extras; even Ridley Scott came over after instructing the cameraman.

"Good roar, loud and wild enough." The British old man circled around Matthew, "But that's not enough! You are a tribal leader who faces the invincible Roman army!"

He glanced at Helen, who was standing on the outskirts of the set, and suddenly asked, "What do you think this character needs?"

Upon hearing this question, Matthew suddenly thought of the martyrs he had learned about in textbooks, instantly inspired, and said, "The spirit of never surrendering, even in the face of death! Hmm... A sense of embracing death as, and also... unwillingness."

Ridley Scott nodded inwardly. No wonder he had acted alongside Winona Ryder and Angelina Jolie; his intelligence was remarkable.

"Show it!" Ridley Scott said again.

While this side was busy, the extras' side was quite leisurely. Many people were watching Matthew and Ridley Scott on the set.

In the crowd, a man with a weird hairstyle looked over there enviously and murmured, "That guy looks familiar!"

"Not only familiar, I know him." A tall guy beside him said, "He stood next to me during yesterday's shoot."

The man widened his eyes, seemingly incredulous, "He's just like us, an extra?"

"Yeah." The tall guy nodded, "And he's with our agency. When we came, I remember he was sitting behind you."

He pointed to Michael, who was holding a sword and shield, "Just like him, they're roommates!"

"Hey, buddy!" The man remembered the guy who was supposed to be famous for shouting, "Where's your buddy?" He pointed in Matthew's direction, "He's your roommate, right?"

Michael glanced at Ridley Scott, who was personally directing Matthew, his expression quite unpleasant, but he still nodded.

The man smirked, "Aren't you supposed to be the big star? How come he's stealing the limelight?"

The tall guy was sighing, "Ridley Scott personally directing... If it were me, I'd be ecstatic and probably jump into the Pacific Ocean later."

Laughter echoed around, but in the eyes of everyone looking at Matthew, there was a hint of envy and jealousy.

Michael stared at the center of the set, wishing that he was the one standing there now!

"An extra, climbing up the ladder so quickly." The man's voice came again, "He probably has connections or is very good at networking!"

The tall guy continued, "Regardless of which, he'll soon leave our class."

The man turned to Michael again, "Aren't you friends? Introduce him to us later. If this guy can really make it big, maybe he can help us in the future."

Hearing this, Michael suddenly realized, putting aside his displeasure. It wasn't the time to be calculating these things. If Matthew really could develop, staying by his side might bring him some benefits too.

"Yeah, we're good friends!" Michael said, "Matthew is very capable, and the boss of Angel Agency values him a lot. You want to meet him? No problem, I'll introduce you when we have time..."

On this side, many people gathered around Michael to inquire about Matthew's situation.

On the other side, a man holding a shield was glaring angrily at Matthew.

"So it was you who stole my role!"

His face was full of rage, as if even the forest behind him could be ignited, "I, Meakin, am a talented graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. How dare I stand with a group of extras..."

Ever since he found out yesterday that his role had been taken away by Ridley Scott, he had been burning with anger. Especially this morning, when he learned that the role had been given to some American hick, his temper flared even more. If it weren't for his agent's persuasion and Ridley Scott's reputation, backed by the immense influence of Universal Pictures behind the crew, he would have smashed the faces of everyone in the crew.

Although he wouldn't graduate until this summer, relying on the reputation of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and recommendations from influential figures in the academy, he had already played roles in several productions. His starting point was quite high, and he was extremely confident in his talent, believing that becoming the next Jude Law was only a matter of time.

Who would have thought that he would stumble at this production? That old man Ridley Scott had no face for him or his teacher.

That old man Ridley Scott, he couldn't afford to offend...

"Ready! Ready!"

An assistant director holding a megaphone walked over, "Five minutes until shooting! Get ready now!"

Meakin picked up the short sword placed aside and walked angrily towards the set. Fortunately, the crew would give him separate shots afterward; otherwise, he would have quit long ago...

The makeup artist quickly retreated, the various departments of the crew returned to their positions, and Matthew stood there, eyes closed, thinking about how to perform according to what he had just said.

He had no professional training and only had one experience of filming, just having read several theoretical books recently.

Such as the various acting techniques: "experiential", "presentational", and "method".

But Matthew's cultural level was limited, and his professional knowledge was lacking. He still couldn't understand the differences between these acting techniques.

This was an opportunity, but it also made Matthew more aware of his own shortcomings. He was even more looking forward to the acting class starting in May.

Filming was about to begin, and Matthew knew he had to deliver something, or else it would just be empty talk.

He believed in one thing, whether it's the white cat or the black cat, as long as it catches mice, it's a good cat!

Isn't it just never surrendering? Isn't it just embracing death as a home? Isn't it just refusing to surrender even in death? He had seen too many characters like this, especially when he was young, everywhere in books and on TV.

Matthew relaxed, throwing away all the cluttered thoughts, and his mind gradually became empty, as if he were the only one left in the world.

"Action!"

A voice penetrated his ears, Matthew's gaze instantly became sharp, staring straight ahead, after a few seconds, he forcefully lifted the war hammer in his right hand above his head, his mouth under the thick beard opened wide, and with tremendous lung capacity, he squeezed out all the air from his chest, a roar like that of a war god soared into the sky.

"Ah... Wow... Ahhh..."

In that moment, Matthew's mind flashed with many memories.

First, the angry shouts at the boss who ran off without paying their wages!

Then, the resentful cries during the sit-in demanding unpaid wages when they were expelled by security!

The time when they were thrown into jail on charges of disturbing public order, emitting a defiant roar!

At this moment, Matthew fully displayed his advantage of tremendous lung capacity, as if he had the lungs of a buffalo, his long roar was like a war horn!

Seemingly influenced by him, the hundreds of extras behind him screamed much louder than before, each of them wailing like ghosts, their cries echoing far away.

Helen stood on the outskirts of the set, watching Matthew still swinging the war hammer and roaring in battle, and nodded slightly.

"He seems good, doesn't he?" Amanda asked, approaching Helen.

"Not bad." Helen Herman was also half a professional in the field, "It's enough for this character."

She didn't expect explosive acting from an extra-turned-actor.

In the set, Matthew stopped roaring, and with the totem-adorned war hammer falling heavily to the ground, this was the signal set beforehand. The extras behind him immediately stopped shouting, but the chaotic cries continued for a while.

"Good!" Ridley Scott wasn't dissatisfied at all and immediately said, "This scene is done, prepare for the next one."

The crew immediately started bustling, resetting the track and camera.

Matthew breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he did okay. Just two takes and it was over.

"Touch up!"

An assistant director shouted, and makeup artists quickly approached.

"I need water," Matthew shouted at the crew.

A utility worker quickly came over with a cup with a straw, to prevent him from smudging his makeup.

At this moment, Matthew felt like a leading man, as if he had become a big star.

But he was well aware that after filming this role, he would be back to square one.

With Ridley Scott giving instructions, Helen took the initiative to approach. As many people in the crew knew about her close relationship with Ridley Scott, no one stopped her.

"How did he do?" Helen asked Ridley Scott.

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